Theory of Subjective Evaluation

This paper develops the Theory of Subjective Evaluation, an epistemic framework for distinguishing currently unresolved evaluative disagreement from genuinely irreducible evaluator-dependence. It distinguishes the epistemic residual—disagreement or uncertainty remaining after currently accessible corrections—from true subjectivity, understood as the actual irreducible evaluator-dependent remainder, if any. The framework treats changes in residual disagreement under independently assessable increases in evaluative competence as defeasible evidence: convergence supports corrigible structure for the portion resolved, while stable residual disagreement supports irreducible weighting only insofar as competence remains well-supported and competing explanations are weakened. It also develops a parallel constraint on certifying absolute evaluator-independence, while preserving ordinary fallibilist factual knowledge and the possibility of objective facts.